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Category Archives: Black Tea

All tea, no matter the type, comes from the Camellia sinensis plant. How the tea differs is from how it is processed.

Black Tea

Black teas undergo the longest processing of any other tea. Once the leaves are harvested, they are left out in the sun to slightly wilt. The leaves are then rolled to break open, which causes them to ferment. As the leaves ferment, they turn from green to black. After the leaves reach their optimal color, they are then dried and packaged.

Black teas can be divided into 3 different categories based on where they are grown and harvested. Assam teas are grown in the Assam Valley of India, Darjeeling is grown in the Darjeeling Province of India, Ceylon teas are from Sri Lanka, and China Blacks are from, well, you can probably deduce that one. Continue reading →

You already know that Keurig k-cups brew tasty coffee by the cup instead of the pot. But did you know that’s not all they’re good for? There are hot chocolate k-cups as well, and several different types of tea k-cups for whatever type of tea you enjoy.

Green Tea

Green tea is celebrated as a healthy tea due to its large quantity of anti-oxidants and the fact that it helps enhance dental health. While many people enjoy drinking a whole pot of green tea at once, sometimes it’s nice to just have one cup, particularly in the morning.

Twinings makes a delicious green tea k-cup for your Keurig brewer so you can do just that. For something slightly different, brew the k-cup over a glass filled with ice and add a sprig of fresh mint. Continue reading →

Earl Grey tea has a quite distinctive flavor from other black teas. Interestingly enough, if you order iced tea in Japan, what you’ll get is usually iced Earl Grey (which is amazing, by the way). So how did Earl Grey get its unique flavor? And who was Earl Grey?

Earl Grey was, in fact, a real person, Earl Charles Grey of Great Britain. Charles Grey was the prime minister of England from 1830 to 1834. His most notable accomplishment while in office was abolishing slavery in the United Kingdom, but it’s not as famous as the tea named after him.

Legend has it that when Earl Grey saved the son of a tea blender in China from drowning, he was given the recipe for what would become Earl Grey tea as a thank you. The recipe called for scenting and flavoring black tea with bergamot oil, which is the recipe still used to this day. However, it is highly unlikely that Earl Grey ever visited China, and therefore, he never saved a boy from drowning there, but it does make the story behind the namesake a bit more exciting. To this day, no one really knows why this flavor of tea was named after him, but it is assumed it is an homage to a very powerful political leader of the day.

Earl Grey tea is still quite popular in present day, especially as an afternoon tea. Some coffeshops sell an Earl Grey tea latte, which is Earl Grey combined with steamed milk and vanilla syrup (it’s called a “London Fog”, if you’re want to try one). There are also numerous variants to the tea, including Lady Grey, Russian Earl Grey, Red Earl Grey, and a green tea variant called Earl Green.

If you enjoy a fine cup of tea and you’ve never treated yourself to an Earl Grey, try a cup. There’s a reason why it’s been so popular for the last nearly 200 years.